


Size Doesn't Matter

by mjuhlar



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Getting Together, Happy Ending, M/M, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-14
Updated: 2015-07-14
Packaged: 2018-04-09 08:05:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4340618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mjuhlar/pseuds/mjuhlar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During an attack, Captain America is hit with something.  How will the changes affect the team?  Will the growing affection and friendship from Tony stop or change now?  Will they catch the villain and save the day?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Size Doesn't Matter

**Author's Note:**

> A little over a year ago I lost my husband to cancer. I had been writing often. I seemed to pull away after that. I have been itching to write again. I thought I would start with this story that has been swimming in my head.

“Anyone have eyes on Cap?” IronMan yells through the com.

“Negative, last I saw him he was headed east, ready to enter the warehouse.” Barton replies as  
he runs.

God Dammit! “He told us to stay out of the building until we knew what Hydra had in there,” IronMan swears, “Self sacrificing bastard.”

He hears a mumbled “One to talk” He thinks it is Widow. He has to admit, she's is right. In his eyes, his self sacrifice is fine, not Cap though. Never Cap.

It had taken months, but Tony and Steve had become almost as close as two friends could be. As soon as the Avengers are called, Ironman and Captain America come out, Tony and Steve are background. It has to be that way. It pisses Tony off that Steve ignores the plan that Cap, himself, set up. 

IronMan makes one more circle around the warehouse Hydra is supposedly in, when suddenly a loud, earth shaking sound erupts from the building and a purple flash fills his vision. His first thought is where the hell is Steve?

Before he has a chance to even think too much on it his com errupts with noise. Everyone is talking at once and he keeps waiting to hear Cap come on and yell at the chatter. There is no Cap coming over the voices.

“Everyone shut the fuck up for a second. Where the fuck is Captain? Captain check in.” Tony finds himself yelling.

He hears Fury come over the channel, “Fall back all Avengers, fall back until we can figure out what the fuck is going on.”

“I'm going into that building whether you like it or not, I’m not leaving Rogers in there. Bench my ass for all I care, I'm heading in.”

“Go in Stark, We will cover the building from out here. We aren’t leaving Cap behind.” Romanov backs him up.

XXXXXXX

Tony walks carefully through the warehouse. There is no trace of anyone having been in it in years. “JARVIS, this place is empty. Shelves and crates and nothing else. There doesn’t look like anyone has been in this fucking place in years. Scan for Cap.”

“Sir, there appears to be a heat signature coming from the back area. Though if I were to say, it is a small signature, that of a large child, maybe a teenager. Weak pulse. I would say there is no sign of Captain Rogers.”

Tony makes his way toward the back of the building. He sees a small body that is practically crumpled in the corner of the building. He picks up his pace, who ever was in the corner needs help.

“Holy Motherfucking Batman. No fucking way.”

“My thoughts exactly, sir” Echos JARVIS.

 

XXXXXXXX

 

“Bruce, tell me they told you something.” Tony mumbles tiredly as he paces the hospital room.

“Tony, please sit. You need to at least sit if you won’t go sleep.” Bruce drags a chair to the side of the bed. “Sit.”

Tony rolls his eyes but takes the seat. He knows that he is about to fall over.

“I know as much as I did 12 hours ago when you found him. Whatever they did to him, restored him back to the way he was before the serum. Well, so far it seems just his size. All the test we have run show that his health seems fine. No sickness at all. He just is pre-serum size.” Bruce stares at the body in the bed.

Tony shifts in his chair. He watches as Steve sleeps in the hospital bed. He has made no signs of waking since Tony carried him out of the warehouse. He looks so much younger as he lays there. Tony is trying to wrap his head around the small man can possibly be Captain America.

Tony has read all the files, hell his Dad had a hand in the whole project of the “Super-Soldier”. Tony probably knows more about Steven Rogers than anyone but Rogers himself. He saw the “before” pictures, he just never really paid attention. 

“Tony, are you listening to anything I am saying?” Bruce interrupts his train of thought.

“Yeah, sorry. Tired.” Tony pulls himself to sit up straight, looking at Bruce again. “So we have no idea who did this? Our info said Hydra was in that warehouse.”

“It looks like it was a trap, Tony. Who ever did this just wanted Steve.”

“Am I the only one freaking out about Rogers being 90 pounds and 4 feet tall?”

Bruce sighs, “110 pounds and five feet tall, just to be factual, and we are all a bit freaked out.”

Tony rubs his hands over his face and scratches his chin. He looks over at Steve curled up in the bed. Tony thinks he may lose his mind.

Bruce sighs, “I can't imagine what is going on in your head Tony. I know how you feel about him.” Tony stands up and opens his mouth, Bruce pushes him back into the chair, “Just shut up Tony. Don't start your nervous rambling right now. Every Avenger knows you love his ass, everyone but Rogers. He is so oblivious that it is starting to drive us all crazy.”

Tony is too tired to argue, too tired to ramble. “Bruce, can you keep your voice down? Fuck.” Tony glides his hands over his neck and face, “All I need is Fury to fucking hear you. Plus, none of that shit matters right now, Bruce. We have to figure out who did this and why. I am not letting anything happen to him in the mean time.”

“Do you think anyone on this team is going to allow anything to happen to him? Go grab a room Tony, he isn’t going anywhere. I will be right here. They have got this place on lockdown. Only the team, Coulson, and a few of Fury’s people know. He is safe.”

Tony sighs heavily, he knows he is going to have to sleep soon. He had been up for 37 hours before they ever got the call. He is working on 50 hours awake. He has gone longer before, but the stress is making it all worse. “Call me as soon as he wakes up. Don’t leave him alone. We got that intel from SHIELD. I'm not putting trust in anyone but our team.”

“We have this Tony, go rest.” 

 

XXXXXXXXX

 

He feels like he has been hit by a truck, a truck then a hulk. “Gosh, this sucks.”

He hears a scrape of a chair and he rolls over to see Banner looking over at him. “Hey Cap, welcome back.”

“What the hell happened?” he asks as he tries to push himself to sit. It takes less than a second to realize something is terribly wrong. His eyes blow wide as he looks at his hands. He pulls the covers back from his legs. “No, no, no. Bruce?”

Bruce stands at the edge of the bed, he pulls the blankets back over the patient, “Something hit you in that warehouse, Cap. Something messed with the serum. We are all trying to figure it out.”

“How long?”

“It’s been 20 hours since Tony carried you out of the warehouse.”

“Oh no. Tony. He is going to be so mad.”

Bruce pulls the chair closer to the bed, “Tony is fucking pissed, to put it mildly.” Bruce watches as Steve flinches a bit at the language. “I forced him to leave the room hours ago to get some sleep before he fell over. Natasha and Clint are at the scene trying to get a clue of who or what caused this. Thor is making sure his brother isn’t starting things again. Coulson is going over all your tests that we ran on your blood with the doctors. You seem healthy, Cap.”

Laughter catches Bruce by surprise, he knows any minute it would turn into something else. The sobs start. It is heart wrenching and makes Bruce uncomfortable to witness, he won’t leave Steve alone though. It’s in this moment he wishes he hadn’t sent Tony away.

Tony is selfish, self serving and a bit of an asshole, but when it comes to Cap, Tony is a rock. Through out Steve adjusting to the 21st century, it has been Tony that has helped him through it all. The two are always together. Sure Tony still teases the hell out Steve, but there is a different ring to it.

The team actually has bets on when the two would admit they were crazy about each other and start sleeping together. The inside secrets and jokes between the two of them are almost cute, almost. Anyone who saw them together off the battlefield would assume they are partners in more ways than one. Bruce didn’t know what this would do to that bond, but he is hoping it is what will get Steve through it.

Bruce stands up from his seat, “I’m going to call Tony. He wants to know when you wake up”

A hand grabs his arm, “No Bruce. No. Keep him out of here, please.” fear filled eyes staring at Bruce, “I can’t, I can’t see him.”

Bruce has the running thought in his head that this is so not his job. “You are not keeping Tony out of here. You know that.” Bruce sits back down and stares at Steve, right in the eyes, “This isn’t how I wanted to talk to you about this, Cap, but I guess it doesn’t matter. This thing you and Tony have, I see it. Everyone sees it, Cap. You’re in love with him. I am sure your head's a mess…..”

“Bruce, please. Stop. I can’t do this right now. Keep him busy, keep him out of here.”

“Steve, I gotta argue the point of that. No one stops Tony from doing what Tony wants. I had to practically put armed guards at your door for him to just catch a little sleep. Do you think changing like this is going to change what you guys have? He is your best friend, if not more. You need him.”

“I thought you were going to call me when he woke up, Bruce.” 

Two heads swing and see Tony comfortably leaning against the door frame.

 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


End file.
